Ran, Beauty, and the Beast
by Bird6490
Summary: During a solo mission, Ran goes on a fairy tale adventure where she meets Belle and they help a beast learn to love.
1. Chapter 1

Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran were just returning to Starlight Academy after their full day of work. "Man, did we have a busy day" said Aoi. "I'm so tired, I could fall asleep right now" Ichigo yawned. Suddenly, Ran's Aikatsu Phone Smart started ringing. She picked it up and answered it via video. "Hello?" Ran answered. When the screen appeared, so did Euterpe's face on it. "Good afternoon, Soleil" Euterpe greeted. "Good afternoon, Euterpe" Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran greeted back. "I have a mission for Ms. Ran" said Euterpe. "For me?" Ran asked. "For you and you alone" Euterpe replied. "Now listen closely" The Goddess began to tell a story. "Once upon a time, in a far away land from France, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous monster and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as her only window to the outside world. The rose the enchantress had offered, was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"

The three teenage girls looked intrigued. "That story sounds like something special" said Aoi. "It is. Now Ran, I will be sending you to a village to meet a young woman named Belle. You are to stay by her side at all times. Do you understand?" said Euterpe. "Yes, but what does Belle have to do with the story you just told?" Ran asked. "You will find out soon" said Euterpe. She used her Goddess magic to open up a portal. Ran looked at her two friends. "Don't worry about us, Ran" said Ichigo. "You just focus on your mission" said Aoi. Ran nodded to her friends and took a deep breath. Then she went through the portal and on the other side, she was near a country house. She saw the sun rise and she also saw a beautiful brown-haired young woman with her hair tied with a blue ribbon in a blue dress with a white apron as she carried a basket in her arms. "That must be her" Ran said to herself. She approached the young woman and asked, "Excuse me, are you Belle?" "Hm?" the young woman noticed Ran. "Why, yes I am. I don't think I've ever seen you in town." "That's because I just arrived" said Ran. "Well, I'll be glad to show you around." Belle smiled. "Thank you. My name's Ran" said Ran. "Pleasure to meet you, Ran. I was just about to go get a new book. Would you like to join me?" Belle offered. "Sure" Ran nodded. "Then follow me." Belle smiled as she led the way into town as she took a look at her quiet village.

As the two girls walked into town, the townspeople woke up to say 'Bonjour' as they walked along inside the path. There was a baker with his tray with bread and rolls to sell. "Good morning, Belle!" "Good morning, Monsieur." Belle greeted warmly. "Where you off to?" The baker asked with a friendly smile. "The bookshop with my new friend." Belle explained. "I just read the most amazing story about a beanstalk, an ogre, and-" "That's nice..." The baker was too busy to hear the whole story. "Marie, the begets, hurry up!" Belle shrugged and continued to walk with her book and new friend as the other villagers called Belle very odd and out of place in this world. Belle kept leading the way, ignoring what everyone had to say about her until they made it to the book store. "Ah, Belle..." The librarian smiled, he seemed to be the only one who was kind and pleasant around her. "Good morning. I've come to return the book I borrowed." Belle handed him the old book before she climbed onto the ladder. "Have you got anything new?" "Not since yesterday" The librarian chuckled, then looked to Ran. "Can I help you with anything, young lady?" "No thank you, sir. You and Belle seem friendly." said Ran. "Oh, of course, she's my best customer." The librarian smiled. "I'll borrow... This one!" Belle took out a blue book. "That one?" The librarian took a look at it with a laugh. "But you've read it twice!" "Well it's my favorite." Belle smiled as she swung on the ladder. "Magic spells, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise!" "Well, if you love it all that much, it's yours." The librarian put the book in her basket. "But, sir!" Belle was about to protest. "I insist." The librarian allowed it. "Well thank you, thank you very much!" Belle smiled as she took her new book, leaving the bookshop with Ran.

While walking, the other people just seemed to think Belle was strange and thought Ran was weird too for hanging around her. "Sometimes I wish I could live in one of my books." Belle sighed as she went with her friends. "My life is kind of boring...There's no one here I can really talk to and everyone thinks I'm odd." "I think weird is good" said Ran. "Oh, I don't know..." Belle shrugged as she continued to walk through town with her. She even sat down on the edge of a fountain with her book as there were sheep around. One of the sheep glanced at the open pages she had and ate one of them, but Belle wasn't even angry or annoyed by it. Belle showed Ran her favorite part of the story of where the girl meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that it's him until chapter three. With that, she then hopped up off the fountain and walked with Ran. "So, where are we going now?" Ran asked. "My house." Belle replied. "I have to help my father." "Mind if I helped him out too?" Ran asked. "Not at all." Belle smiled. "Then lead the way, Belle" Ran smiled back. Belle smiled as she led Ran to where she lived, passing the various people who were out this morning. There was a flock of geese heading south, but one of them wasn't so lucky. It was shot and fell like a stone, instantly coming for the ground. "Um, Belle, are there any hunters here?" asked Ran. "I know one really well..." Belle sounded slightly annoyed. "His name's Gaston. He wants to marry me, but I'm not interested." "Let me guess, the guy is all muscle and sometimes, no brain?" asked Ran. "You bet..." Belle rolled her eyes. "He's handsome alright, but just not the right person for me." "I think you deserve better" Ran encouraged. "There must be more than this provincial life..." Belle sighed as she held her book. They both kept walking as the townspeople crowded. Today was a very busy morning.

"I'm sure Papa will love to meet you, Ran." Belle smiled. "It's hard to make new friends sometimes." 'I think I can see why in this town' Ran thought to herself. Belle thought she felt something weird behind her, then turned to see nothing and kept moving forward. However, a full of himself man dropped down in front of her and Ran with a smug grin on his face. "Hello, Belle." "Bonjour, Gaston..." Belle forced herself to be polite. Ran glared at Gaston when he took Belle's book away from her. "Gaston, may I have my book back, please?" Belle asked firmly, but nicely. "How can you read this book?" Gaston flipped through the pages. "There's no pictures!" Then he tossed Belle's book into the mud. "Belle, it's about time you get your head out of those books and think about more important things... Like me..." he provided a smile. This made three blonde women in the background sigh dreamily. Ran rolled her eyes. She took Belle's book out of the mud and tried to find something to clean it. "The whole town is talking about it." Gaston scoffed about Belle's hobby. "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking." he spoke like it was the most controversial thing in the world. "Gaston, you are positively primeval." Ran deadpanned. Gaston chuckled. "Why thank you, little lady." "Come along, Belle," Gaston smirked, putting his arm around Belle. "What do you say you and I stop by the tavern and have a look at my trophies?" "Maybe some other time" Belle muttered. "What's wrong with that girl?" The orange triplet asked. "She's crazy!" The red triplet answered. "He's gorgeous." The green triplet continued to stare at Gaston, deeply in love with him. Ran started to clean the book with her own shirt. "Here you go, Belle." She said, handing the book back to her. "Thank you" Belle took it in relief. "Now if you'll excuse us, Gaston, we're going to help Belle and her dad. Now, goodbye!" Ran glared at the man as his tiny sidekick showed up. The tiny man known as LeFou laughed out loud. "That crazy old loon needs all the help he can get!" This made Gaston laugh with him. "Don't talk about my father that way!" Belle scolded to make them stop laughing. "Yeah, don't talk about her father that way!" Gaston blamed LeFou, then clonked him on the head. "My father is not crazy, he's a genius!" Belle scowled at them. Suddenly, there was an explosion heard at her house and she had to rush to it. Ran joined her, concerned about her father after hearing the explosion. Gaston and LeFou laughed as they left.

Belle knew where the explosion came from, she opened the cellar and coughed as smoke blew into her face. "Papa...?" she choked only slightly. "Hello...?" Ran added as she coughed. Then they saw someone turned upside down in a barrel, then broke out, revealing to be a small elderly man. "Are you okay, sir?" Ran asked. The man grumbled once he slammed a machine next to him. "I'm about ready to give up on this old hunk of junk!" Belle had an amused smile. "You always say that..." "I mean it this time, Belle," The man firmly told her. "I'll never get that boneheaded contraption to work!" "Yes, you will." Belle put her arms around his shoulders. "And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow." He simply harrumphed, not believing he'll get it to work or fixed in time for the fair. "And become a world-famous inventor..." Belle added with a smile. "You really believe that?" Belle's father looked at her. "I always have." Belle confirmed. That seemed to boost his confidence. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked, now eager to get back to work. "I'll have this thing fixed up in no time. Say, who are you?" he asked his daughter's new friend. Ran introduced herself to the man. "Nice to meet you all, young lady. My name's Maurice." Belle's father said before going under his invention. "Hi, Maurice." Ran greeted. "So, did you two have a good time in town today?" Maurice asked as he got to work. "I got a new book and met a new friend." Belle replied, then took out a strange-looking tool. "Papa, do you think I'm odd?" "My daughter? Odd?" Maurice pulled himself out, wearing goggles that made his eyes look like bug eyes. "Where'd you get an idea like that?" "Oh, I don't know; I just don't feel like I fit in here, there's no one I can talk to, besides you, Ran." Belle said. "Well, how about that Gaston?" Maurice suggested as he reached for another tool. "He's a handsome fellow." "He's handsome alright, but rude, and conceited..." Belle sighed as she sat down. "Oh, Papa, he's not for me..." "At least you have your new friend..." Maurice comforted after he finished what he could do. "Now don't you worry, 'cuz this new invention is gonna start a new life for us." "What is it anyway?" Ran asked. "It's an automatic log cutter," Maurice explained. "This way if you go for logs in the forest, you don't have to cut them alone, they'll just cut on their own... I just hope it works."

"Now, let's give this a try." Maurice pulled the lever down, getting ready to duck for cover, expecting the machine to fail. Ran began to pray that the invention would work. The machine's whistle blew and the chopping against the wood started. Maurice looked back, a little nervously. The invention cut a piece of wood and put it with the pile of logs for firewood. "It works!" Belle cheered. "It does?" Maurice looked in surprise, then excitement once a log flew over his head. "It does!" "You did it, you really did it!" Ran congratulated the man. "Hitch up, Philippe, Belle!" Maurice called in joy. "I'm off to the fair!" However a log flew by, hitting him on the head and briefly knocking him out. "Don't worry, he'll be okay, this happens all the time." Belle assured her friend. "I'm sure it does" Ran replied. Maurice got set up to go to the fair and he waved goodbye to the girls.


	2. Chapter 2

Later, outside Belle's house, LeFou and Gaston were spying. LeFou was dressed normally while Gaston appeared to have a fancy suit on. As Belle was reading her book, Ran approached her. "So, where did you come from?" Belle asked. "Um...let's just say I'm from somewhere that's far, far away from here" said Ran. "Hmm..." Belle smiled to her. "I thought you seemed a little different." There was a knock on the door and Belle decided to get it. However, when she looked out to see who it was, it wasn't Maurice, but it was someone who made her groan and roll her eyes. 'Where have I seen that look before?' Ran thought to herself. The door opened to reveal Gaston. "Gaston? What a pleasant surprise." Belle said, sarcastically. "Isn't it though?" Gaston smirked, walking himself inside. "I'm just full of surprises. You know Belle, there's not a girl in town who would love to be in your shoes. This is the day-" the selfish and greedy hunter stopped to look in the mirror. He licked his teeth a bit and looked back at the woman he desired, returning to his point. "This is the day your dreams come true." "What do you know about her dreams, Gaston?" Ran glared at him. "Plenty." Gaston sat himself down and put his muddy shoes on the table, nearly ruining Belle's book as he kicked off his shoes. "Picture this: A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my little wife massaging my feet." Belle cringed as she pinched her nose, disgusted with Gaston's proposal.

"While the little ones play on the floor with the dogs" Gaston continued, then faced her with a narcissistic grin. "Of course, we'll have six or seven." "Dogs?" Ran asked. "No, little lady. Strapping boys like me." Gaston said. Ran rolled her eyes. "Imagine that..." Belle muttered as she cleaned up her book so it wouldn't be ruined forever. "And do you know who that little wife might be?" Gaston tried to corner her. "Let me think..." Belle drawled out. "You, Belle!" Gaston grinned, coming closer toward her. Ran grabbed his arm before he could touch Belle. "Stop it! Belle is so not interested!" she told him. "Excuse me, young lady, butt out!" Gaston said as he broke free of Ran's grip. He kept trying to woo and kiss Belle. But then, she opened the door on him and made him fall out into the mud. "I'm very sorry, Gaston, but I just don't deserve you." Belle said as she soon let him out. There was a band playing outside and Belle also grabbed Gaston's boots and threw them out with him. LeFou stopped the band and lifted the pig off of Gaston's head and smirked. "So, how did it go?" Gaston got up, gripping LeFou by the collar, very angered with Belle's rejection. "I'll have Belle for my wife!" he growled. "Make no mistake of that!" he threw LeFou back in the mud and stormed off. "Touchy!" LeFou huffed. The pig snorted in agreement. Gaston was furious he was going to have Belle as his wife, one way or another. Then he stormed off, making his little party leave with him.

Belle cracked the door open slightly. "Is he gone?" "All clear." Ran gave a thumb's up. Belle scoffed as she carried food for the chickens she had to feed in her little farm. "Can you imagine? He asked me to marry him! Me! The wife of that boorish, brainless-" "You are so better off without that jerk." Ran said. Belle sighed. After feeding the animals, she rushed off. "Belle, wait up!" Ran called. Belle ran and looked out. "I just wanna get out of here..." she said to her new friend. "I want adventure and a great life somewhere, I want it more than I can tell." "And I think it would be grand to have someone who would understand. And possibly have so much more than they've got planned." Ran smiled. "You really do understand me" Belle smiled to Ran as she picked a dandelion to make a wish on it. There was a horse neigh heard in the distance. The girls turned to see Philippe coming, who was scared and out of breath. "Philippe!" Belle rushed to her horse. "Wh-Where's Papa? Where is he, Phillipe? What happened? Oh, we have to find him, you have to take us to him!" Belle grabbed her cloak to ride on her horse with and she and Ran went with Phillipe to the forest.

Belle looked to the gate of a castle with wonder as she was on Philippe's back. "What is this place?" she whispered to herself. The horse tried to get them to turn back, but Belle restrained him. Belle went inside the gate and once she saw something, she picked up a hat and knew exactly who it belonged to. "Papa." she whispered in deep worry. "Then he must be somewhere inside" said Ran. She and Belle walked up to the castle doors. The girls were a little scared. "H-Hello?" Belle called out as she opened the door. "Papa?" "Maurice? Are you in here?" Ran added. They kept trying to call for Maurice with little to no avail. "Momma, there are girls in the castle!" A tea cup cheered as he hopped to a teapot in the kitchen as she was next to a soapy tub. "Now, Chip, I won't have you make up wild stories." The teapot looked firmly to him. "Really Mama, I saw them!" The tea cup cried in defense. "Not another word" The teapot took him in for a bath. "Into the tub." But then the tea cup known as Chip was proved to be right as a feather duster came in. "I just saw two girls in the castle!" "See?" Chip squirted water from his mouth, smirking to his mother. "I told ya!" A candle and clock were arguing, but they stopped for a moment as they saw Belle and Ran walk past the hallway. "Did you see that?" The candle asked the clock. The two went behind the door and watched the girls go. "It's two girls!" the candle exclaimed quietly. "I know it's two girls!" The clock sneered to him. "Don't you see?" The candle looked excited. "One of zhem is zhe one we have been waiting for, one of zhem is here to break zhe spell!" he said before zipping off. "Wait a minute!" The clock cried out, going after him.

"Maurice?" Ran said while looking around. "Hello, is someone here?" Belle asked as they went to a staircase. There was a fire glow going up the stairs. "Wait, we're looking for my father, I-" They went up the stairs, but they saw no one there. The candle had placed himself down on a window sill. "That's odd... There's no one here..." Ran felt puzzled. "Is anyone here?" Belle asked. "Girls?" A weary old voice called from a door. "PAPA!" Belle rushed over once she recognized it. Belle and Ran rushed over to see Maurice in a cell. "H-How did you find me?" Maurice asked his daughter once he held her hand. "Oh, your hands are like ice!" Belle shivered for him. "We've gotta get you out of there. Who did this to you?" Ran said. "There's no time to explain" Maurice warned them. "You two must go, now!" "We won't leave you!" Belle protested. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" A voice snarled, grabbing the girls. "RUN, GIRLS!" Maurice cried. "Who's there?" Ran asked. "Who are you?" "The master of this castle..." The Beast's voice growled to them as he kept himself hidden in the shadows. "We've come for my father." Belle started. "Please let him out. He looks sick." said Ran. "THEN HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRESPASSED HERE!" The Beast snarled. "But he could die. Please, we'll do anything!" Belle begged. "There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner." The Beast growled. "But there must be something we can..." Belle paused to think. Once she had an idea, she alerted the beast's attention. "Wait!"

The master stopped in his tracks and looked back down at the humans. Belle looked back at her father and new friend and bowed her head. "Take me instead." she said in the bravest voice she could muster. "You?" The Beast snorted, then thought for a moment. He looked back, a bit amazed with Belle's decisions and settled his voice. "You would... Take his place...?" "Belle, no, you don't know what you're doing!" Maurice cried. "If I did, would you let them go?" Belle asked. "Yes, but..." The Beast said, facing Belle eye to eye. "You must promise to stay here forever." Belle hesitated before answering and looked long and hard at the Beast. "Come into the light." she requested. The master of the castle put his furry foot out and came into the light from outside the lonely window. Belle and Ran's eyes widened once she caught a full glimpse of the beast that was the master. They gasped a bit and turned away, nearly scared. "No, Belle. I won't let you do this!" Maurice took his daughter's hand. Belle kept her eyes shut and she stood up. "You have my word." "I'm staying too" Ran spoke up. "DONE!" The Beast barked, letting Maurice out.

Once Maurice was out, he rushed over to his daughter. "No, Belle. Listen to me. I'm old, I've lived my life-" he said. Then the Beast grabbed Maurice to get rid of him. "Wait!" Belle cried as she wasn't ready for her father to be gone yet. "Belle!" Maurice held out his hands for his daughter. "Wait!" Belle repeated, heartbroken. She felt so devastated, she broke down into tears. "Aw, Belle..." Ran hugged Belle to comfort her. "I didn't get to say goodbye..." Belle whimpered. "I'm so sorry" Ran said. After the Beast took care of Maurice, he stormed back into the tower, but he actually looked sad as Belle was crying about never seeing her father again and never getting a chance to say goodbye. "I-I'll show you to your room then." The Beast uttered out before starting to walk off. "Our room?" Belle looked up. "But I thought-" "You wanna, you wanna stay in the tower?" The Beast glanced to her. "No" Belle shook her head. "Then both of you follow me." The Beast commanded as he grabbed the candle to show them a room to stay in from now on.

The Beast led them out of the tower and showed them down the hallway. Ran looked around as she followed him. Belle was horrified by some of the imagery of the castle, especially when she saw gargoyle images that looked like they wanted to jump out and get her. She caught up with the others as she bowed her head with a tear rolling down her cheek. The Beast looked back to Belle and made light conversation with her as they walked. "Now remember, the castle is your home now" the Beast told the girls. "So you can go anywhere you like, except the West Wing." That puzzled Belle. "What's in the-" "IT'S FORBIDDEN!" The Beast boomed, making her silent. After that, he continued to lead the way to their new room. 'I think I better do what he says' Ran thought to herself. The Beast opened a door to a bedroom. "Now, if you need anything... My servants or I will attend to you..." Belle and Ran entered the room and looked at him. "You will join me for dinner" The Beast forced himself to say. "That's not a REQUEST!" he slammed the door shut. Belle gasped once the doors shut behind her. Then she ran and flopped on the bed, sobbing as it started to snow. Ran sat next to Belle and gently rubbed her back to comfort her. "Everything's gonna be okay, Belle" Ran soothed. "But... I need my father..." Belle sniffled. "He was the only family I had and now he's gone..." "It will be alright. I got you" Ran assured her. Belle looked quite miserable.


	3. Chapter 3

A little while later, there was a knock to their door. "Who...Who is it?" Belle asked as she wiped her red eyes. "It's Mrs. Potts, dear~..." A merry old voice came from behind the door. "I'll get it." Ran said before going over to open the door. There was no woman behind the door, but Ran looked down to see a teapot with tea supplies, including a familiar little teacup. "I thought you dears might want a spot of tea." The teapot, Mrs. Potts, smiled up at him. "Oh, it's you again, and yes, I think a cup of tea would be great right now for Belle." Ran said, pointing to the brown-haired young woman. "But, y-you're-" Belle stammered, stepping back in slight surprise into the wardrobe who had a friendly face. "Oh" The wardrobe chuckled. "Careful." "This is impossible" Belle felt bewildered around the room she was in now. "Told ya that one was pretty, Momma." Chip smiled up to his mother once he took a look at Belle. "That'll do now, Chip" Mrs. Potts said before pouring tea into the tea cup. "Slowly now, don't spill." Chip stepped toward Belle, slowly and carefully so he wouldn't spill on the floor. Belle smiled to him and picked him up to take a drink out of him. "Wanna see me do a trick?" Chip asked the girls. He took a deep breath and made bubbles into the liquid. "Chip!" Mrs. Potts scolded. "Oops, sorry..." Chip chuckled sheepishly. Ran hid a giggle. She actually enjoyed it. "That was a brave thing you did, dear." Mrs. Potts soothed. "We all think so." The wardrobe added. "But... I've lost my father... My dreams... Everything..." Belle frowned as she held onto Chip, still very sad. "Cheer up, child." Mrs. Potts offered her warmest smile. "It'll turn out alright in the end. You'll see." Belle was still heartbroken.

"Oh, listen to me" Mrs. Potts sighed. "Jabbering on when there's a supper to put on the table..." She went for the door and called her son after her. Chip hopped out of Belle's hand to join his mother. "Bye!" "Well, that was interesting." Ran said with a smile. "Well now, what shall we dress you in for dinner?" The wardrobe opened her doors with several moths flying out. She covered herself in mortification. "Oh, how embarrassing..." She opened one door and took out a pink satin dress. "Oh, here we are, you would look ravishing in this!" Ran showed a supportive smile. "That's very kind of you, but I'm not going to dinner." Belle smiled apologetically. The wardrobe gasped. "But you must!" "I don't think I'm going either. I need to comfort Belle" said Ran. She felt quite hungry as she rubbed her stomach. The dinner door was cracked open and the mantle clock came out to see them with a pleasant smile. "Dinner is served." "We're not going down" said Ran. "But, the Master insists that you both comes down to dinner" The clock pointed to Belle. "What am I going to tell him!?" "Tell him that we're not coming." Ran said. "I-I can't, he'll be most displeased!" The clock cried. "You can stay afraid of him forever. You need to man up" said Ran. The clock didn't have time to argue so he went off.

Soon, the Beast started banging on the door once he got there. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO COME DOWN TO DINNER!" "We're not hungry!" Belle called, not opening the door. The Beast was very angry, more angry than he had ever been in his life. "You come out or I-I'll break down the door!" he threatened with her bloodthirsty glare. "Master, I could be wrong" the clock spoke up, gently. "But that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections...Please, attempt to be a gentleman!" "But she's being so difficult!" the Beast growled. He thought for a moment, glancing at the door, but not having a proper smile. "Will you come down to dinner?" "No" Belle and Ran replied. The Beast grunted, pointing to the door to show the his servants Belle and Ran were being as rude as he was. They still tried to get the Beast to use his manners, but no matter what, it wouldn't work. "No means no!" Ran yelled. "You both can't stay in there forever!" the Beast snarled. "Yes, we can!" Ran replied. "Fine...Then go ahead and STAAAARVE!" the Beast growled before glaring to his servants. "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all. That goes for you all too." Then he stormed off.

"Oh, the Master's not so bad once you get to know him" The wardrobe coaxed to the girls, but mostly to Belle. "Why don't you give him a chance?" "I don't wanna get to know him!" Belle refused. "I don't want anything to do with him!" "I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should give him a chance." Ran said. "You can, but I won't..." Belle folded her arms in disgust, very angry with the Beast due to how he treated her and Ran. After an hour, Belle and Ran were starving. "I give up. Belle, let's go have dinner" said Ran. "Oh alright" Belle gave in. The two snuck into the hallway and found their way to the kitchen. They passed a curtain in which the candle who was supposed to guard the door was with his feather duster girlfriend and he noticed that they had escaped, and this made him extremely worried. Everyone else was in the kitchen. "Splendid to see you and about, guests!" The clock smiled anxiously in front of the girls. "I am Cogsworth: the head of the household." "That's not what I've seen." Ran smirked with her hands on her hips. The candle rushed over and he kissed the back of the girls' hands like a true gentleman. "And this is Lumiere" The clock rolled his eyes slightly. "Pleased to meet you both." Ran said. "If there's-Stop that! Anything we can do-Please! Can do to make your stay more comfortable?" Cogsworth asked, annoyed that Lumiere was hogging their attention. "We are a little hungry." Ran replied. "You are?" Mrs. Potts sounded delighted, then turned to the stove chef in the castle. "Hear that? They're hungry! Start the fire, bring out the silver, wake the china!" "But, the master said-" Cogsworth was a little reluctant. "Oh, pish-posh" Mrs. Potts shook her head. "I'm not about to let the poor children go hungry!" "Thank you, Mrs. Potts" Ran smiled.

"Alright, fine!" Cogsworth groaned, glaring at everyone, hoping to not wake the master. "Glass of water, crust of bread, and then-" "Cogsworth, I am surprised at you" Lumiere glanced at the majordomo, then back at the small group with a smile. "Zhey are not prisoners, zhey are our guests! We must make them feel welcome here! Right zhis way, Mademoiselles." Then he led them to the dining room. "Well, keep it down" Cogsworth said urgently as he came to warn him. "If the Master finds out about it, it will be our necks." "Of course, of course, but what is dinner without a little music?" Lumiere nodded before shutting the doors which sent Cogsworth flying. "MUSIC!?" Cogsworth cried out before he splashed in the kitchen. "I think some music would be nice" said Ran. Lumiere took the girls to the dining room. In the dining room, Lumiere stood on the table. Belle sat at the end of the table and Ran next to her on the right. Then a spotlight shun on Lumiere. "Ma chere Mademoiselles, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure, that we welcome you tonight" Lumiere greeted as he then used a top as a top hat and a match as a cane to entertain the group when serving their food. "And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents, your dinner!" Cogsworth tried to stop it all, but Belle and Ran really enjoyed it as they were entertained and fed with the best thing they could ever see in their lives, and where it seemed that none of them were listening to him while this was all going on. Belle and Ran were able to try the various foods while entertained and encouraged to be the castle's guests. Cogsworth, somehow found it very entertaining and couldn't resist to join in with them.

"Bravo!" Belle cheered while clapping once it all ended. "That was wonderful!" "On a scale of 1 to 10, that was 100!" Ran added. "Yes, thank you, thank you, young lady, good show, everyone" Cogsworth said as the others bowed and went away. He then yawned and took a look at his face with his hands spiraled across. "My goodness, look at the time! Now, it's off to bed, off to bed!" "Oh, we couldn't possibly go to bed now. We've never been in an enchanted castle before" Ran smiled. "Enchanted, who said anything about the castle being enchanted?" Cogsworth smiled sheepishly, then spotted Lumiere and started to fight him once the secret about the enchanted place getting out. "I think we kinda figured it out ourselves..." Ran scoffed slightly. The two stopped fighting and tired to look like mature adults. "Oh, would you like a tour?" Lumiere offered. "I don't think that's such a good idea." Cogsworth whispered harshly to him, while everyone else looked puzzled. "We can't let them go poking around in certain places, if you know what I mean." "How about you give us the tour?" Ran asked Cogsworth. "We're sure that you know everything there is to know about the castle." "Well, actually..." Cogsworth chuckled bashfully. "Yes, I do..." 'Knew that would work.' Ran thought to herself. Cogsworth and Lumiere led the guests down one hallway, passing suits of armor that seemed to be watching them go. Belle's curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to go into the West Wing despite being told not to go in there. Ran soon joined her, only to be suddenly stopped by Lumiere and Cogsworth.

"What's up there?" Belle asked, looking up the staircase. "What? There? Oh, nothing!" Cogsworth lied as Lumiere shook his head in equal decline. "Absolutely nothing interesting at all in the West Wing! Dusty, dully, very boring!" "So that's the West Wing." Ran smirked with interest. "Nice going..." Lumiere put his hands on his hips to the clock for letting the metaphorical cat out of the bag. "I wonder what he's hiding up there?" Ran wondered as she looked up to the top of the stairs. "H-Hiding?" Lumiere smiled nervously. "Uh, zhe master is hiding nothing!" "Then it wouldn't be forbidden." Belle continued to walk up with Ran. "Uhh,... Perhaps, the guests would like to see something else," Cogsworth suggested, anxiously. "We have exquisite tapestries dating all the way back to-" "Maybe later." Ran ignored him. "Zhe gardens!" Lumiere offered. "O-Or zhe library, perhaps!" "You have a library?" Belle sounded excited now. Lumiere and Cogsworth felt victorious. They now had a way around their guest to led her down from the stairs and leave the secret West Wing. "Yes, with more books zhan you can ever imagine!" Lumiere beamed, going with Cogsworth to the library. The girls followed them, but Belle's curiosity was still ticking at her. She watched them leave with a smirk, then looked back upstairs, even more curious of the West Wing. She and Ran watched Lumiere and Cogsworth leave to the library thinking they were following them, but went upstairs anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Belle led the way as she and Ran went into what looked like a bedroom with a shattered mirror and a torn-up portrait of a young boy. Belle looked to the blue eyes and felt they seemed familiar to her. She was just about to piece it together, but then flinched as a pink glow cast over them. Ran walked over to the bell jar and looked at it as there was a glowing and floating pink rose that looked rather magical. She removed the jar, curious of it. Belle smiled and she wanted to touch the rose to see how it was floating, but gasped in fear as there were eyes now watching them. The Beast had found out they were in there somehow and he snarled to them. He rushed over to the rose and put the jar back on, glaring at the two girls. "Why did you come here?" he growled at them. "W-We're sorry." Belle said. "I warned you two to never come here." The Beast snarled. "We didn't mean any harm!" Ran cried out. "Do you realize WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE!? GET OUT!" The Beast roared. Belle and Ran rushed to the door. "GET OOOOOOUUUUUTTT!" The Beast snarled as they ran for their dear lives. Once they were gone, he felt a little bad about what he had just done and thought maybe he was too hard on them as they ran away.

"Where are you going?" Lumiere cried once he saw them zooming down the stairs. "Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute!" Belle told them as she rushed out the door with her friends and ran out of the castle and gate. "Oh, no, please wait!" Cogsworth cried. It was too late, Belle ran with Ran to Philippe to escape the castle as a vicious snowstorm decided to roam into the village. "Let's get out of this place and never return to that castle ever again." Ran said. Then they went off without even daring to look back. However, wolves were heard and they came out to chase after the girls in severe iciness that could sting any skin that was left unprotected with warmth. It was very frigid out and they had to face wolves as well. There was an ice lake that was breaking fast and one of the wolves fell in it, trying to paddle itself out, but had trouble. Philippe's reigns got caught against a tree branch and Belle tried to defend herself and Ran. It looked like the wolves could kill them. However, another roar was heard. It was the Beast! He began to beat up the wolves and even grabbed one, roaring in its face and throwing it aside. "Wow" Ran said in amazement. The Beast made the wolves go away and never be seen again. He was really out of breath though and he passed out into the snow, falling on his face. Belle looked to him, she was about to escape with her friend on her horse, but she thought about what the Beast did. He was a little loud and demanding, but he saved their lives. "What do we do now?" Ran asked. "We have to help him." Belle said to her. "We owe him." "Couldn't agree more." Ran said. So they took the Beast back to the castle to heal him.

The Beast sat in his chair, licking the scars on his arm while Belle used Mrs. Potts to put warm water in a tub. Belle put a cloth into the water and squeezed the cloth to drench the water and use the rag to put on his scars. "D-Don't do that... Just hold still..." she said softly as she then placed the cloth on his wounds. The Beast let out an injured roar right in her face. "THAT HURTS!" "If you hold still, it won't hurt as much!" Ran helped defend since she would know and had zero fear now. "If you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened." The Beast smirked. "If you hadn't frightened us, we wouldn't have run away!" Belle shot back. The Beast was about to think of a comeback, but he had to admit silently, they had him there. Then he thought of something. "Well, you shouldn't have been in the West Wing." "Well, you should learn to control your temper." Belle snorted. Ran nodded in agreement. Everyone else was watching while being hidden. They were surprised by the two girls' bravery and the Beast wasn't as ferocious before. Belle did good to return the favor for the Beast and they were just surprised she and Ran came back. "Now hold still, this might sting a little." Ran warned. Belle placed the compress on his arm from the wolves' slashes. The Beast grunted a bit, but held back any roars or growls he would usually lash out. "By the way, thank you for saving our lives." Belle said. "Yeah, that means a lot to us." Ran said. The Beast turned back at them, surprised. "You're welcome..." he said softly, making peace in the castle. He now gained trust to all of them and wouldn't be so rough on them from now on. After the wound was cleaned, Belle started to bandage The Beast's arm. The Beast thanked Belle and he had to think of a way to repay her someway and went off to bed. "Maybe the Beast isn't such a bad guy after all." Ran said. "There's something in him that I haven't seen before" Belle admitted that Ran had a point as they went back to their room, now fully exhausted. "Maybe he'll change." "Yeah, if we give him time." said Ran.

The next day, Belle and Ran went outside. Belle even decided to bring Philippe out. Little did they know, they were being watched by the Beast, Lumiere, and Cogsworth. The Beast watched close and wrapped his paw around his bandages. "I never felt this way about anyone before..." he whispered with a smile. Then he stood up tall. "I should give them both something... But, what?" "Well, for the older girl, let's see" Cogsworth thought out loud. "Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep" "No, no, no, you've got to give something will compliment her something that sparks her interests" Lumiere said before remembering something. "Wait a minute." The plan was set as a surprise to Belle. The Beast asked Belle inside and allowed Ran to come in with her if she wanted to. There was a surprise waiting for them. "Belle, there's something I wanna show you" The Beast told the girl before letting her go onward. "But first, you have to close your eyes." Belle looked playfully suspicious at the Beast. "It's a surprise." The Beast smiled. Belle closed her eyes. The Beast waved his hand in front of her eyes and then eagerly opened the doors and took her hands, leading her inside and Ran followed them. 'I wonder what Belle's gift is' Ran thought to herself. "Can I open them now?" Belle asked. "No, no, not yet..." The Beast said, but soon stopped her and went to get ready. "Wait here." Belle looked excited as the curtains opened and she could feel the bright glow from outside, but she kept her eyes closed. "Now can I open them?" she asked. "All right, now." The Beast smiled. Belle opened her eyes and gasped as she saw a huge library filled with dozens of books. "Wow" Ran said amazed.

"I can't believe it" Belle gasped. "I've never seen so many books in all my life!" "Y-You like it?" The Beast smiled at Belle. "It's wonderful." Belle smiled back. "Then it's yours." The Beast told her. "Thank you so much." Belle smiled as she held his hands. Ran smiled to this. "Oh, would you look at that?" Mrs. Potts smiled to the other servants. "Aha, I knew it would work!" Lumiere beamed. "What?" Chip frowned. "What worked?" "It's very encouraging." Cogsworth chuckled as they started to walk away. "Isn't this exciting?" Babette smiled as she joined them. "I didn't see anything!" Chip angrily pouted. "Now, Chip, there's chores to do in the kitchen." Mrs. Potts told her son before joining the others. "But what're they talking about? What's going on?" Chip asked. "Come on, Momma!" Later on, Belle, Beast, and Ran had lunch. Belle enjoyed her bowl of what seemed to be oatmeal, but looked surprised at how the Beast ate his oatmeal. Mrs. Potts and Chip winced towards him before looking back to Belle. Belle quietly ate her oatmeal, not saying anything. Chip looked up and pushed a spoon over to the Beast to have him use it, and where he soon grabbed the spoon and used it, but it was a little difficult eating the oatmeal from the spoon. "It gets easier if you practice" said Ran. Chip giggled to how his Master ate his breakfast until Mrs. Potts shot them both a glare which silenced them. Belle soon put her spoon down and the Beast did the same. They lifted their saucers together and drank the remains. 'That's better.' Ran thought to herself.

After lunch, they went outside into the snow as Belle and the Beast seemed to be getting along nicely. The servants watched Belle and the Beast from inside as the two soon had a snowball fight, and where they believed that there was something there that wasn't there before. Ran eventually went inside and shivered from the coldness, but soon calmed herself down and looked to the servants. "What are you guys up to?" she asked. "No one will tell me what's going on." Chip pouted. "Well, the Beast and Belle are falling in love." Ran told him. "Oh, is that all?" Chip asked. "Yes, and soon your spell will break." Ran nodded. "Yay!" Chip cheered. "Ran, do you really think we can do this?" Mrs. Potts asked. "You guys should arrange a special evening for them, but this will take planning." Ran suggested. "I, for one, agree." Cogsworth nodded. "Cogsworth...?" Ran hid a small smirk. "Care to be in charge?" "Oh, me, do you think I'm qualified?" Cogsworth smiled innocently. "Well, if you insist, I suppose I could arrange something." Ran simply rolled her eyes playfully.


	5. Chapter 5

Later, Belle and the Beast relaxed by the fireplace. Ran looked over in secret as she went to hold a meeting with the servants. They tried to be quiet so that no one would hear it see them. "Right then, you all know why we're here" Cogsworth announced. "We have exactly 12 hours, 36 minutes and 15 seconds to create the most magical, spontaneous, romantic atmosphere known to man or Beast." He chuckled at the last part he said as it was a bit of a joke. Unfortunately for him, no one laughed at that. "Erm... Right!" Cogsworth said, returning back to serious business as the bell jar soon came with the wilting rose as it had a few petals left for the enchantment. "Need I remind you, that if the last petal falls from this rose, the spell will never be broken!" He whacked it with his baton and it nearly fell over which made the servants panic. "Careful with that!" Ran told him. "Very well" Cogsworth said as he soon caught the bell jar before it would fall and smash into pieces. "You all know your assignments. Half of you to the West Wing, half of you to the East Wing, the rest of you, come with me." Suddenly, the others ran off to the left, leaving Cogsworth alone, but Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Babette, and Ran stayed behind.

"Oh, lighten up, Cogsworth, and let nature take its course." Lumiere told the mantle clock. "It's obvious there's a spark between them." Mrs. Potts added. "Of course there is." Mo smiled. "Yes, yes, but there's no harm in fanning the flames a little..." Cogsworth said. "Besides, they must fall in love tonight if we ever expect to be human again." "Ah, human again" Lumiere smiled. "Human again." Mrs. Potts added. "Yes, think what that means." Lumiere smiled as he placed one of the clock hands up to where the other clock hand was at 12. Cogsworth shivered as he suddenly rang like a clock with the tolls and moved his hands back. "I'll be cooking again, Be good looking again, With a mademoiselle on each arm~" Lumiere began to sing. Ran smiled as a song came up. "When I'm human again, Only human again, Poised and polished and gleaming with charm~" Lumiere continued happily. "I'll be courting again, Chic and sporting again~" "Which should cause several husbands alarm~" Mrs. Potts sang. "Ha, ha! I'll hop down off the shelf, And tout de suite be myself~" Lumiere sang with a chuckle. "I can't wait to be human again~" They all sang together. Eventually, the castle was being cleaned up as the servants were excited for the spell to be broken and they would become human again. "When we're human again, only human again~" The servants sang. "When we're knickknacks and whatnots no more, when we're human again, good and human again~" "O, Cherie, won't it all be top drawer?~" Madame Airmore, the wardrobe smiled as she looked the most excited. "I'll wear lipstick and rouge, And I won't be so huge, Why I'll easily fit through that door, I'll exude savoir faire, I'll wear gowns, I'll have hair, It's my prayer to be human again~"

Outside, Ran carefully gave Philippe some oats. "When we're human again, only human again~" Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts sang outside the pen." When the world once more starts making sense~" "I'll unwind for a change~" Cogsworth sang. "Really? That'd be strange." Lumiere commented. "Can I help it if I'm t-t-tense?" Cogsworth defended. "In a shack by the sea, I'll sit back sipping tea, Let my early retirement commence, Far from fools made of wax, I'll get down to brace tacks and RELAX~" Lumiere gave him a whip with a towel and smirk, knocking him down. "When I'm human again, so sweep the dust from the floor~" The servants sang as they started to clean the castle. "Let's let some light in the room I can feel, I can tell someone might break the spell any day now, shine up the brass on the door, alert the dust pail and broom, if it goes just as planned our time may be at hand any day now~" Ran arranged some servants around, but coughed and sneezed from the dust. "Open the shutters and let in some air~" The feather dusters sang. "Put these here and those over there~" Mrs. Potts added. "Sweep up the years of sadness and tears and throw them away~" The servants sang as they swept dust outside. Cogsworth saw something out of order and arranged only to get dusted on and swept away with the dust. "We'll be human again, Only human again, When the girl finally sets us all free~," The servants sang as they really got in the spirit. "Cheeks a-blooming again, We're assuming again, We'll resume our long lost joie de vivre, We'll be playing again, Holidaying again, And we're praying it's ASAP, We will push we will shove, They will both fall in love, And we'll finally be human again~"

"'There never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and Romeo'." Belle smiled as she finished reading another story to the Beast. "Could you read it again?" The Beast asked her. "Well, here, you read it to me." Belle smiled as she handed him the book. "Um... Alright..." The Beast said, a bit unsure as he took the book and only glanced at it. "Hmm... I... I can't." "You mean you never learned?" Belle asked softly. "Oh I've learned... A little" The Beast told her. "It's just been so long." "Well, here, I'll help you" Belle replied before turning the pages of the book to a place to start. "Let's start here." The Beast took the book and tried his best. "T-Tw-o...?" "Two." Belle corrected. "Two... I knew that..." The Beast replied before he was going to read now. "Two households..." Everyone was outside as there were now fountains and Ran helped spruce up the garden. "We'll be dancing again, we'll be twirling again, we'll be whirling again with such ease~" The servants sang as they cleaned the windows and did lots of great work in the back of the castle. Ran was happy to be helping the Beast. "When we're human again, only human again, we'll go waltzing those 1-2-3's~" The servants continued singing. "We'll be floating again, we'll gliding again, step and striding as wide as you please~" Ran smiled as she helped the garden and the servants felt glad to have her help. Madame Aimore was soon climbing up to the balcony and she soon jumped off like she was on a diving board. "GANGWAY!" Ran yelped. "LIKE A REAL HUMAN DOES, I'LL BE ALL THAT I WAS, ON THAT GLORIOUS MORN, WHEN WE'RE FINALLY REBORN, WHEN WE'RE ALL... HUMAN... AGAIN!~" The servants finished as the wardrobe jumped into the pool of water. Everyone ran for their lives so they wouldn't get wet.

That night, it was time for a very special night. Ran tried helping the Beast get ready. "Tonight is the night!" Lumiere announced. "I'm not sure I can do this." The Beast frowned as he was being given a bath. "You don't have time to be timid." Ran told him as she saw the enchanted rose was almost completely wilted. "She is right, you must be bold, daring!" Lumiere added. "Bold... Daring..." The Beast repeated before shaking himself dry like a dog out of the bath. "Your dreams will come true, and you and Belle will live happily ever after." Ran advised. "Zhere will be music... Romantic candlelight... Provided by mysel," Lumiere added. "And when the moment is right, you confess your love." "Confess... I can..." The Beast sounded motivated at first before losing his nerve quickly. "I... I... No, I can't." "You care for Belle, don't you?" Ran asked. "More than anything." The Beast replied as his fur was being styled. "Then you have to tell her" said Ran. "You must!" The coat rack finished trimming for a moment. "Viola! You look so... So..." Lumiere smiled. "Stupid." The Beast groaned as he had pigtails and bows in his fur. Ran tried not to laugh at how the Beast looked. "Ah, not quite the word I was looking for. Perhaps a little more off the top?" Lumiere replied and suggested. The coat rack went back to a more neat and groomed gentleman look which was more acceptable. "Ahem!" Cogsworth cleared his throat as he soon came in with a smile. "Your lady awaits." "Well, here goes nothing." Ran said. Belle came out in a glittering golden ball gown down one staircase as The Beast came down the other with a fancy blue outfit. Ran smiled as she watched Belle and the Beast spend a romantic time together.

"Tale as old as time~," Mrs. Potts began to sing as Belle and the Beast linked arms together. "True as it can be, Barely even friends, Then somebody bends, Unexpectedly~" The scene changed to where they were having dinner. "Just a little change, small to say the least, both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the beast~" Mrs. Potts sang. Everyone just watched as they knew this was working out perfectly. The Beast was nervous about dancing with Belle as they came to the ballroom and they were about to dance, but he soon calmed down and managed to happily smile at her. "Ever just the same, Ever a surprise, Ever as before, Ever just as sure, As the sun will rise~" Mrs. Potts continued. "Tale as old as time, Tune as old as song, Bittersweet and strange, Finding you can change, Learning you were wrong~" Lumiere and Cogsworth approved of the dancing as they watched with the others. "Certain as the sun, Rising in the east~," Mrs. Potts continued. "Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast~" "Shh..." Lumiere dimmed the candle lights. "Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast~" Mrs. Potts soon finished and noticed how late it was and turned to her son as he yawned sleepily. "Off to the cupboard with you now, Chip. It's past your bedtime." Chip yawned before smiling sleepily to his mother. "Good night, luv." Mrs. Potts smiled back before kissing him good night.

Chip hopped out of the ballroom to go get some sleep, but peeked out one last time as Belle and the Beast came outside together against the moonlight. Ran decided to watch and see if they would kiss or not. Ran let out a small yawn though as working all day long was a little tiresome for her. "Belle... Are you happy here with me...?" The Beast asked the girl. "Well, yes..." Belle replied, but looked distant. "What is it?" The Beast frowned. "If only I could see my father again, just for a moment" Belle frowned as she began to feel homesick. "I miss him so much." The Beast looked to her. He couldn't bear to see her upset and soon made a confession. "There is a way." Ran was about to go to bed, but she saw Belle and the Beast going into The West Wing. "He's allowing her into The West Wing this time." Ran said. "This mirror will show you anything" The Beast told Belle as he gave her the mirror. "Anything you wish to see." Belle took the mirror and looked into it. "I'd like to see my father, please." The mirror shimmered a bright light and Maurice was shown alone in the woods and appeared to look very sick and even fell, almost as if he had died. "Papa!" Belle gasped. "Oh, no, he's sick; he might be dying, and he's all alone." The Beast looked at her and then to the rose as it was close to running out of petals. "Then... Y-You must go to him..." he said to her. "What did you say?" Belle asked. "I release you and Ran" The Beast told her. "You're no longer my prisoner." "You mean, I-I'm free?" Belle smiled. "Yes, both you and Ran." The Beast told her.

"Oh... Thank you," Belle said before looking into the mirror to leave. "Hold on, Papa, I'm on my way." Then she realized she still had the mirror and held it out to the Beast. "Take it with you" The Beast told her. "So you'll always have a way to look back, and remember me." "Thank you for understanding how much he needs me." Belle said before leaving. Then she went to inform Ran about the news. "We're going back to the village?" Patch asked. "We have to" Belle frowned. "Papa needs help." Belle rode off with Ran on Philippe and they left the castle grounds to probably never be seen by anybody in the castle again. The Beast soon let out a roar as they were gone, but it was mostly in despair than in blind anger. Ran could already tell the emotion in the Beast's roar.


	6. Chapter 6

"Papa?" Belle called out as she and Ran went into the forest. "Papa!" Maurice was shown to be knocked out in the middle of the forest and didn't seem to be moving. Ran rushed over to Maurice and decided to carry him back. "Hurry, let's get back to the cottage." she said. They quickly brought Maurice home and they went into the cottage where a snowman appeared to be by the house before shivering the snow off, showing that he was LeFou. "Ooh, they're back!" he said before he rushed off to go tell Gaston and everyone else in the village. Belle and Ran began to do everything they could to keep Maurice in bed and waited for him to wake up. "Oh, he's colder than before..." Belle frowned. "He should be somewhat better now." Ran coaxed. "Belle...?" Maurice murmured and his eyes slowly opened. "Shh...It's alright, Papa; I'm home, along with Ran." Belle soothed her father. "I thought I'd never see you again." Maurice smiled to his daughter and hugged her. "I missed you so much." Belle smiled back. "But the beast. How did you escape?" Maurice asked. "We didn't escape, sir. He let us go." Ran told him. "That horrible beast?" Maurice replied. "But he's different now, Papa. He's changed somehow." Belle said.

Suddenly, everyone heard something in Belle's bag and the bag fell over with the mirror on the bed and a certain teacup had rolled out and smiled to his new friends. "Hi!" "Hello there, little guy," Maurice smiled as he carried Chip in his hand. "Didn't think I'd see you again." "Girls, why'd you go away?" Chip pouted to Belle and Ran. "Don't you like us anymore?" "Chip, of course we do" Ran soothed him. "It's just that-" Then there was a knock at the door. Belle decided to answer it and found a creepy old man. "May I help you?" she asked him. "I've come to collect your father." The man replied. "Collect her father?" Ran frowned. "Don't worry, Mademoiselle" The creepy old man smirked, showing a chariot for the insane asylum with an angry mob outside the door. "We'll take good care of him." "My father's not crazy!" Belle frowned. "He was raving like a lunatic" LeFou smirked. "We all heard him, didn't we?" "What are you talking about?" Ran asked as she stepped out. "Belle?" Maurice frowned as he came out. "Sir, I'm not sure if coming out would be a good idea." Ran said. "Maurice, tell us again, old man" LeFou smirked. "Just how big was the beast?" "H-He was enormous!" Maurice frowned from memory. "I'd say at least eight, no, more like ten feet..." The angry mob just laughed at him. "Well, you don't get much crazier than that!" LeFou laughed. "It's true I tell you!" Maurice told the mob. "Get him outta here." LeFou commanded. Two asylum workers arrived and grabbed a hold of Maurice. "Let go of me!" Maurice cried out. "You can't do this!" Ran glared at the creepy old man. The man glared back and simply walked away.

"Poor Belle..." Gaston frowned to the girl. "It's a shame about your father." "You know he's not crazy, Gaston." Belle frowned back. "Hmm... I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding..." Gaston replied. "If..." "If what?" Belle asked. "If you marry me." Gaston smirked. "What?!" Ran glared. "One little word, Belle. That's all it takes." Gaston smirked. "NEVER!" Belle glared. "Have it your way." Gaston coldly replied as he allowed Maurice to be taken away. Belle ran inside to get the magic mirror that the Beast allowed her to have. "Belle!" Maurice cried out. "Let go of me!" "My father is not crazy, and I can prove it!" Belle called out as she brought out the mirror before calling to it and showing that The Beast was real. "Show me the beast!" The mirror glowed and it showed the Beast, but he was roaring slightly, and this scared the mob. "Is he dangerous?!" A woman cried out. "No, not at all." Ran assured her. "Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's very kind and gentle." Belle smiled as she looked to the image in the mirror. "He's my friend." "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster." Gaston sneered with anger and jealousy. "He's no monster, Gaston" Belle retorted. "You are." "They're as crazy as the old man." Gaston glared, turning to the townspeople. "The Beast will make off with your children. He'll come after them in the night." "No!" Belle cried out. "He's lying!" Ran told them. "We're not safe 'til his head is mounted on my wall!" Gaston told the people. "I SAY WE KILL THE BEAST!" The mob seemed to agree more with Gaston than with anyone else. Ran facepalmed as they began to sing a song.

"We're not safe until he's dead." A man said. "He'll come stalking us at night." Another man added. "Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite." A woman frowned as she huddled against her baby. "He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free." A third man told the others. "So it's time to take some action, boys" Gaston told them before throwing a torch into a pile of hay. "IT'S TIME TO FOLLOW ME! Through the mist, Through the woods, Through the darkness and the shadows, It's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride~" He sang. "Say a prayer, Then we're there, At the drawbridge of a castle, There's something truly terrible inside~" LeFou yelped as he felt scared after being shown the Beast. "It's a beast, he's got fangs, razor sharp ones, Massive paws, killer claws for the feet~," Gaston smirked to him. "Hear him roar, see him foam, And we're not coming home 'TIL HE'S DEAD, GOOD AND DEAD, KILL THE BEAST~" "No, I won't let you do this!" Belle cried out. "If you're not with us, you're against us" Gaston replied as he grabbed a hold of her. "BRING THE OLD MAN!" "Get your hands off me!" Maurice yelped as he was soon thrown into the basement. "We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Gaston said as Belle and Ran were thrown in with him and the doors were shut. "Let us out!" Belle demanded. "We'll rid the village of this beast!" Gaston told the villagers. "Who's with me?!" "I am!" A man called out. "I am!" A woman called out. "I am!" Another man called out. Chip peeked outside the door as the angry mob went to go after the Beast.

"Light your torch, mount your horse." The mob chorused. "Screw your courage to the sticking place." Gaston told them as he got onto his own horse. "We're counting on Gaston to lead the way~" The mob sang, following him. "Through the mist, to a wood, where within a haunted castle, Something's lurking that you don't see everyday, It's a beast, one as tall as a mountain, We won't rest 'til he's good and deceased, SALLY FORTH, TALLY HO, GRAB YOUR SWORD, GRAB YOUR BOW, PRAISE THE LORD AND HERE WE GO~" "We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!" Gaston told the mob. "I have to warn the Beast" Belle sulked. "This is all my fault...Oh, Papa, what are we going to do?" "Now, now, we'll think of something." Maurice soothed her. Lightning soon flashed as the villagers kept going and chopped down a tree to break down the castle doors with. "We don't like what don't, Understand, it frankly scares us, And this monster is mysteriously at least~" The mob sang on the way. "Bring your guns, bring your knives, Save your children and your wives, We'll save our village and our lives, WE'LL KILL THE BEAST~"

Back at the castle, the servants saw the angry mob coming. "Sacre bleu, invaders!" Lumiere gasped. "Warn the master" Cogsworth told the servants. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them. Who's with me?!" Suddenly, the doors closed, leaving Cogsworth alone and he suddenly panicked. "Take whatever booty you can find, but remember, the beast is mine!" Gaston told the mob. "Hearts ablaze, banners high~," The servants panicked. "We go marching into battle, unafraid although the danger has increased~" "Raise the flag, sing the song~," The mob sang as they were about to try to break the door down. "Here we come, we're fifty strong, And fifty Frenchmen can't wrong, LET'S KILL THE BEAST!~" "Pardon me, Master?" Mrs. Potts asked the Beast in his room. "Leave me in peace." The Beast mumbled. "But sir, the castle is under attack!" Mrs. Potts told him. "KILL THE BEAST! KILL THE BEAST!" The mob chanted outside, trying to break the doors down. "This isn't working." Lumiere said sadly. "Oh, Lumiere, ve must do somezhing!" Babette frowned to her boyfriend. "Wait, I know!" Lumiere said, suddenly getting an idea. "KILL THE BEAST! KILL THE BEAST!" The mob called out. "What should we do, Master?" Mrs. Potts frowned. "It doesn't matter now." The Beast sulked as he cradled the bell jar. "Just let them come." "KILL THE BEAST! KILL THE BEAST!" The mob jeered and they broke through the doors. It was dark inside of the castle with no light and it was very quiet. The mob began to walk inside the castle. LeFou saw Lumiere and picked up the candelabra. "NOW!" Lumiere called out. Suddenly, the light came on and the servants came to life to attack the mob. The villagers were getting beaten up by the coat racks, mops, drawers, chests, etc. The villagers, though caught by surprise, tried fighting back. Gaston left the crowd and went to go find the Beast for himself.

Chip managed to get Belle, Ran and Maurice out of the basement. "What the devil?" Maurice muttered before looking and panicked. "BELLE, LOOK OUT!" The wood cutting machine started to chop through the doors before falling in. There was an explosion, but no harm was done to anyone. "You guys gotta try this thing." Chip said as he was hooked onto a spring. "Later. Right now, we have to hurry back to the castle." Ran said. They rushed off to make it back to the castle to help the Beast. Gaston was searching the higher levels for the Beast, not realizing that a certain warlock followed him out of rage. While that was going on, the battle continued. Madame Airmore whammed and hit the attacking villagers with her doors and drawers. A comb and broom thrusted themselves onto one villager and pulled him into the wardrobe and he came out in a dress, a pearl necklace, and a beehive hairdo and soon screamed and ran away, not liking his new look. LeFou cornered Lumiere with a torch, trying to melt him. LeFou laughed until Cogsworth slid down the banister and the tiny man yelled out as he was stabbed in the backside and went flying out of pain. One villager grabbed a hold of Babette and plucked her feathers and Lumiere took a deep breath to light his butt on fire which made him yell and run away. Then the feather duster landed safely in her candelabra boyfriend's arms. Eventually, Gaston found the Beast and shot an arrow at him with a smirk. The Beast yelled out and Gaston tackled him. Gaston laughed as he kicked the Beast onto the roof. "Get up!" he demanded as it started to rain. "Get up! What's the matter, Beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back?!" The Beast didn't look like he could fight back at all. Gaston pulled off a chunk of the roof like a club and was ready to strike the Beast.

"NO!" A voice called out from down below. They looked down to see that it was Belle, Ran and Maurice. "Belle..." The Beast whispered. "No, Gaston, don't!" Belle cried out. Gaston raised his weapon high and was about to strike down only for The Beast to grab a hold of it and began to fight back. "Let's go, Philippe." Belle told her horse. The horse ran through the front doors and the others ran along inside. The Beast and Gaston continued to fight. "Were you in love with her, Beast?" Gaston glared as he looked for his target. "Did you honestly think she'd want you, when she had someone like me?!" Ran ran to where the fight was and hid herself. There wasn't anything she could do except watch. The Beast went behind Gaston, but Gaston noticed him and tried to hit him only for the Beast to duck and the Beast bit onto the club, but soon let go. "It's over, fools" Gaston glared at the Beast as the lightning struck behind him. "BELLE IS MINE!" Ran couldn't take it anymore. She pushed Gaston down and when he tried to stand back up, he was suddenly lifted by his throat from The Beast and he dangled the hunting man over the roof with a deep scowl. "No, please don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Anything!" Gaston begged. The Beast glared firmly to Gaston, but then he looked soft as he found that he wouldn't go so far as to let Gaston fall to his death. He backed away with Gaston in his grip and whispered darkly to him, letting him go. "Get out." he then demanded sharply. Ran nodded as he knew that was the right thing to do. Gaston gasped and soon came across the roof as Ran glared at him, very angered and disgusted.


	7. Chapter 7

Belle went to see the Beast once she made it up to the balcony. "Beast!" Belle called down. "Belle?" The Beast asked as he turned to see her. Belle tried to reach out for him from where she stood. "Belle... You came back..." The Beast smiled, stroking her hair behind her ear. Belle smiled back as she was sure nothing would ruin the moment. Belle and Ran were happy until the Beast let out a roar of pain. "Beast?!" Ran's eyes widened out of concern. Gaston was shown to have stabbed the Beast with a dagger and blood even dripped out. "Why, that no good heartless man!" Ran glared. She had enough of Gaston so she pushed him off the castle, falling to his death. No one could be bothered by a jerk like Gaston ever again. Gaston screamed as he kept falling and ended up in the ravine to never be seen again. Belle pulled Beast up into the balcony. The Beast looked wounded beyond repair. "You came back..." The Beast breathlessly said to Belle. "Of course we came back" Belle said, feeling emotional. "I couldn't let them-Oh this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner." "Maybe it... It's better this way." The Beast wheezed before coughing. "Don't talk like that. You'll be alright" Belle assured him. "We're together now, everything's going to be fine. You'll see." "At least... I got to see you... One last time..." The Beast continued before his head gently hit the floor and his eyes slowly closed. Ran gasped with tears in her eyes as the Beast was now dead.

"No, no, please, please, please don't leave me," Belle frowned as she grew tearful. "I love you." The last petal fell from the wilted enchanted rose. This made the servants very depressed as both their master was gone and they had failed to break the spell in time. Ran covered her face with her hands as she began to cry. Belle cried the most as she stayed with the Beast, even though he was dead. However, during the sadness, there seemed to be glowing lights shooting out of the sky, almost like fireworks. Ran noticed this and smiled while wiping her tears away. Belle stopped crying as the Beast seemed to be lifted into the air. Everyone looked very sad, but looked curious of what was happening. The Beast transformed into a handsome prince. Everyone flinched from the bright light, but looked curious. "Belle... It's me..." The Beast smiled softly as he came back down. Belle looked curious and dubious until she saw that he had the same eyes which made her very happy. "It is you!" The two kissed a passionate kiss. This made the rain instantly go away and the castle seemed to get a peaceful and happy makeover as fireworks filled the skies. The ugly gargoyles became beautiful cherubs and everything looked bright and shiny. The servants went to join them and one-by-one, they were turned back into humans. "Now that you are human, what should we call you?" Ran asked. "Before the curse, I was Prince Adam" said the prince. "Adam. I like that" Ran smiled. "Lumiere! Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts!" Adam smiled to his servants. "Look at us!" "Mama! Mama!" Chip piped up becoming a little boy again. "Oh, my goodness." Mrs. Potts smiled tearfully as she hugged her little boy. "It is a miracle!" Lumiere smiled. Adam smiled as he happily swayed Belle about in happiness and victory.

The scene changed to the ballroom. Everyone was dressed up to celebrate Belle and Adam coming together as a couple. "Ah, l'amour~..." Lumiere smiled. Babette walked by with a smirk as she passed him. Lumiere smirked back and soon went to go after her only to be pushed back by a certain 'friend' of his. "Ah, Lumiere, old friend, let's let bygones be bygones." Cogsworth told him. "Of course, mon ami" Lumiere replied. "I told you she would break the spell." "I beg your pardon old friend, but I believe I told you." Cogsworth said. "No, you didn't" Lumiere told him. "I told you." "And here they go." Ran sighed. "YOU MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT, YOU POMPOUS PARAFFIN HEADED PEA BRAIN!" "En garde, you, you OVERGROWN POCKET WATCH!" Ran smiled as she watched Belle and Adam dance a waltz. Then she had an idea. She tapped a glass with a fork and everyone's attention turned to her. "Ahem. I'd like to propose a toast to the curse being broken and that Prince Adam has finally realized what true love really is. I have had a very pleasant time meeting you all and I'd like you all to watch me perform" she said. Ran went into the fitting room, changed into the King Leo Coord and performed "Trap of Love" for all of her new friends.

Ran: Kodomo datte iu ni wa, fukuzatsu sugiru kono mune wa  
Setsunakute hajikete shimai sō  
"Dokoka e tsuredashite?"

Watashi kara anata e to  
Shikaketa no wa koi no wana yo  
Shisen sorasanaide

Sō daitan na watashi ni naru kara  
Anata no konomi no senobi no _heel_ de  
Heibon na hibi wo kakedaseba  
Subete ga kirameki tomosu

Nē daitan wo watashi ni oshiete?  
Kore ja tarinai no mada hikiyosetai  
Mō jōdan ja sumasarenai omoi  
Te to te ga furetara, It's Trap of Love

After the performance, everyone applauded. "That was spectacular! Ran, I didn't know you could perform like that!" said Belle. "Well, you all got a chance to sing, but I didn't so I thought it was time that I did" said Ran. "Thank you so much for everything" Belle said as she hugged her. "You're welcome. I'm glad I met you Belle" Ran hugged back. "We're all glad to have met you and Belle" said Adam. "We'll never forget you" said Cogsworth. "Thank you everyone" Ran smiled as the hug broke. She hugged everyone before leaving the castle. Ran called Euterpe and the Goddess used her magic to send Ran back to Starlight Academy. "Ichigo and Aoi are going to love hearing the adventure I went on" she said to herself. Then she went to find Ichigo and Aoi and told them all about her adventure.


End file.
